Originally Posted by
anndelise
Actually, the enneagram is the most likely to be the most scientifically sound of the three you listed...with some modifications.
Jaak Panksepp has mapped 7 emotional systems in the brain, which all mammals share, and other types of animals share some of them. (Note: Panksepp is in no way related to nor even concerned with the enneagram nor other typing systems! His work is pure science.)
The 4 "positive" ones are:
Seeking (pushes us to interact with our environment, which leads to us making associations and learning; when overactivated you get psychological problems like mania, psychosis, schizoprenia; when underactivated you get problems like depression)
Lust
Care (prompts the bonding of parent to infant; bonding with others (that loving feeling) caregiving activities, etc)
Play (the poking and prodding we do that teaches us rules of social interactions. May present as rough-and-tumble-play, teasing, verbal sparring, etc.)
The 3 "aversive" emotional systems he's mapped so far are:
rage/anger (commonly occurs when we suddenly are faced with an obstacle/conflict)
fear (commonly occurs when we are faced with uncertainty and insecurity)
seperation distress/panic (when caregiver and infant are seperated they cry out and desperately seek each other to reconnect; also part of things like jealousy, codependency, etc)
Enneagram can be easily mapped to the three aversive emotional systems, though enneagram might need some changes in some of the descriptions. Enneagram being about fixations leads to
Gut triad = Fixations about obstacles we face, competitions, and the goals/desires of others when in conflict with our own goals/desires
Head triad = Fixations about uncertainty and security
Heart triad = Fixations about losing our connections with others, what others think about us that might cause them to abandon us, etc
Then you break those three groups of fixations up into fight, flight, freeze, and appease stress reactions and you get 9-12 types. Again, though, enneagram would need to reword some of its descriptions to more accurately reflect the science.
For example, gut triad + stress reactions of fight, flight, appease:
Rage/Gut + fight = e8, a willingness/eagerness to overcome obstacles, to compete with others, and to prominantly push one's own goals/desires
Rage/Gut + flight = e1, if have the perfect path, the right attitude, and do everything the right way, then one can avoid most obstacles/conflicts, and when faced with conflicts then 'right wins over might'
Rage/Gut + appease = e9, to get past the obstacles one might appease its requirements/requests, or give the other party some or all of what they want and that might let you be able to get what you want